What the fireplace saw
by spones
Summary: It is Christmas Eve and Robert almost blows it... *Cobert Holiday (Smut) Fanfiction Exchange* Merry Christmas!


My humble contribution to the Cobert Holiday fanfic exchange! I'm happy to say, that my prompt made it into the story, in a way... Enjoy.

Prompt: Cora explains to Robert the American tradition of sitting on Santa's lap to tell him what you want. He decides this has merit.

* * *

"God, it really is freezing outside..."

"Darling, what were you doing outside? And dressed like this? You'll catch your death!"

"Erm", Robert started, rubbing his hands furiously, "Isis slipped out while Mama was leaving. I had to go after her."

"And there wasn't one of the footmen around to do that? And you couldn't have put on a coat at least?"

"You know she wouldn't have listened to a footman and well, I could have put a coat on, I suppose", he replied looking ever more sheepish, "but then I didn't think she would be this fast across the lawn."

"She obviously didn't listen to you either." Cora snorted and suddenly realised something: "Wait a moment, you RAN after her?"

"Well..."

"Oh, don't tell me", Cora said rolling her eyes, and headed for the library.  
In moments like these, she was convinced she actually had four children under her roof.

Robert was left standing in the hall, realising that in the eyes of his wife he had obviously done something incredibly stupid. Since they had started to exchange suggestive glances over dinner, which had developed into little, hidden touches in the Drawing Room, unseen by everyone else and therefor so much more arousing, Robert had hoped they would build on that later on once everyone had gone home or to bed. Now, it seemed, he had seriously ruined his prospects in this regard and on Christmas Eve of all evenings.

When she didn't hear him following her, Cora turned around and what she saw made her smile and not entirely against her wishes. They had flirted rather shamelessly all through the evening and the little knot of excitement which had formed in her stomach hadn't vanished with Robert's childish behaviour. On the contrary. Now that Cora looked at him, standing in the hall, clearly still freezing, with his red nose and red ears, with his wet hair, which therefor was even curlier than usual, and a growing pool of water around his feet, while snow kept melting off his shoes, looking back at her like a schoolboy, who had been caught stealing candy, she found her husband the most adorable thing she had ever laid eyes on.

"Well", she asked, her smile broadening, "aren't you coming?"

"I'd rather we went upstairs? I mean, I would like to change into something, erm, more dry", he said in a careful tone of voice, unsure of what her smile meant exactly.

"I'd rather you come in here." She replied, her tone getting ever more seductive, "You know, Robert Crawley, you have been a bit naughty, and there has to be some punishment for your behaviour."

Judging by the widening of his eyes, Cora realised, this might have been a bit much for him at this point, so she added in a more casual tone:

"Come on in. We'll be alone, everyone else has gone to bed, but the fire is still going. I'd very much like to sit with you by the fire for a bit. And you can warm up there."

"But my feet...", he said feebly, looking down at his soaked through shoes. He so desperately wanted to sit by the fire with her, but how could he do that with his freezing feet in his wet shoes.

"Please? Robert?", Cora cut him off and extended her hand: "We'll be alone. I'm sure the library won't crumble into dust if you took off your shoes in front of the fire."

Her blazing blue eyes were now positively pleading with him. He just couldn't disappoint her again and so he took her hand and they went together into the library, which in it's day and age had seen and heard much more than wet hair and squelching shoes.

While Robert sat down on the sofa near the fire and started to pull off his shoes and socks, Cora went to pour a drink for her suffering husband.

When she turned around and took in the scene in front of her, Cora suddenly burst into a fit of giggles, which had her put the glass back down on the table again for fear of dropping it: Robert Crawley, the oh so dignified 6th Earl of Grantham, still in White Tie, although slightly rumpled, stretching his legs, trying to get his bare feet as close to the roaring fire as possible, leaning back into the cushions, his eyes closed, his mouth open and releasing a very relaxed sigh.  
What a sight for sore eyes, Cora thought.

His eyes flew open immediately though: "What's so funny?"

"Well", she managed between giggles, "I never thought, I'd see you like this. But since your dignity is severely ruined for today anyway, I'm sure, this won't matter a thing."

"But, you told me, I could take off my shoes in here", he huffed somewhat irritated at her continuing laughter. "And why is my dignity severely ruined?"

"When I just looked at you, sitting there like this, I just had this mental image." She burst into another fit of laughter.

"What?"

"Oh, well, you know how mental images are. Never mind", she said and finally managed to hand him his drink and sat down beside him.

"But I do mind. And no, I don't know how mental images are. What was it?"

"Believe me, you don't want to know", she told him with another snort.

Obviously it was a very, very funny mental image.

Robert gulped down his whisky. This was getting ridiculous. Wasn't this supposed to be a romantic evening?

"Well, my dearest wife, I do want to know." He put his glass down and added after a pause, looking at her with pure mischief in his eyes:

"And you know, what I'll do, if you won't tell me."

"No, Robert, don't..."

His hands had found her waist and all the right spots in no time at all and with an audible screech from her, he pinned her down beneath him, tickling the living daylight out of her.

"Robert, please, stop, stop it...", she cried, wriggling furiously underneath him.

"I will, if you tell me."

"I give up, you win. I'll tell you, I'll tell you. Now stop it."

He stopped his onslaught immediately, his hands coming to rest on her waist, and everything went suddenly very quiet around them with just their heavy breathing hanging in the air.

Robert simply had to. At this very moment, he could think of nothing else than Cora's slightly parted lips, which seemed to invite him. He simply had to kiss her, now.

And he did.

It was passionate, fiery and intense. Their tongues seemed to be caressing every last inch of each others mouths, and with closed eyes, they gave themselves up to each others touch. When Robert started to trail open mouthed kisses down her neck, Cora couldn't help herself and started to moan audibly. She had buried her left hand in his hair, and with her right one, she had grabbed the back of the sofa. She tried to arch her body into his, using the sofa for leverage, for something in her wanted, needed, to feel his body against hers. Curiously though, he remained kneeling above her, just out of range, and when his kisses had reached her collarbone, Robert suddenly stopped.

When Cora opened her eyes, she looked directly into his face. He was actually smirking at her.

"What?"

"Well, there is this tiny little unsolved matter of my severely ruined dignity and your mental image."

"Bastard", she mouthed.

"Tell me", he whispered. "And be honest, or I will go upstairs and sleep in my dressing room."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me", he murmured, his lips hovering just a few inches over one of the sensitive spots below Cora's ear.

Of course, sleeping alone in his dressing room was the very last thing Robert wanted to do, but he was quite sure that Cora wouldn't want to sleep alone either. Not after this.

Cora realised that he had very successfully cornered her. Robert could be such a tease if he wanted to. He very well knew that she would do anything for him when he breathed above this spot below her ear like this. Of course, she didn't want him to sleep in the dressing room. Not after this.

So, Cora closed her eyes, took a deep breath and told him:

"Well, it really wasn't much. I just suddenly had this picture of you in my mind, how you would run after Isis across the snow, shouting for her to come back, your tails flying behind you and your ears getting redder and redder."  
Cora started giggling again.  
"And Isis running like mad, hopping around and just so happy thinking you would finally play with her in the snow."  
Cora barely managed to get the last words out in between her giggles.

"THAT is NOT funny at all."

Cora's eyes flew open when she realised that Robert's voice was suddenly coming from half across the room. She hadn't noticed him getting of off the sofa, and her, being completely absorbed in her mental image.

"Robert?"

He had gotten up from the sofa and gone to pour himself another drink.

"Oh Darling, I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it. It just popped up in my mind. I told you, you wouldn't want to know."

"If I'd have actually looked like this, then you're right. My dignity would be severely ruined. Very much so in fact." Robert's voice was merely a whisper now.

"Oh I'm sure you didn't, Darling. It was just me being silly."

To Cora's relief he seemed to snap out of his brooding mood, but she wasn't quite sure, wether she liked what she saw. She was sure though, that she had to pay for this somehow. The fact that he suddenly leaned into the table, stretching his legs, including his still bare feet, and grinned mischievously at her didn't make things any better.

"Now what?"

"Now YOU have been naughty and I think, a little punishment is in order."

Robert walked slowly over to the sofas and sat down opposite Cora, who had sat up again.

"Well", he began. "I have a good mind to just leave you here and actually go upstairs and go to sleep in my dressing room, again."

Cora's face fell, just as Robert had anticipated.

"BUT, I'm not going to be that cruel. You have a chance to make it up to me."

"How?", Cora asked, a bit too eagerly for her liking.

"I don't know. Try me. BUT, you only have ONE chance."

"You are cruel."

"Careful!"

Cora thought hard for a moment. She definitely didn't want to lose this evening the their childishness. On the other hand, she enjoyed his little game in some strange way. If she managed to have him tonight, she would have earned it. And it would be all the more terrific.

Cora decided to retaliate. At least a little bit. It was a bit risky, she had to admit, but then again, no risk, no fun, like her mother always said.  
She stood up and slowly walked over to Robert, and said, trying to sound as seductive as possible:

"Would you like me to tell you a story?"

"By all means", Robert replied, wondering what she had in mind now.

"Right", and now for the difficult part, "would you mind terribly, if I sat on your knee? Because, you see, in America, we have this Christmas tradition, were we sit on Santa's lap so he can listen properly to our stories?"

"Cora, dearest, what kind of man do you take me for? You're not getting away this easily."

"I'm not trying to get away easily." Cora huffed, pretending to be as innocent as possible. "I'm just trying to do this properly. I'd like to tell you a story about a girl and her wishes and since it's Christmas Eve, I just thought... You always told me, you'd be interested in American traditions. Now there is one, and..."

"Alright, alright, Darling, I don't mind. Really. Come here."

Robert couldn't help himself and smiled. He wasn't that stupid. He had seen right through Cora's little scheme and, looking into her eyes, he knew that she knew that he knew. But he found himself keen to play this little game to the very end. Very keen indeed.

So, Cora settled herself on Robert's right knee while his right hand started to caress the small of her back and finally came to rest on her waist.

"So, tell me about this tradition of yours. Am I Santa Claus right now?", Robert asked in a low voice.

Now this was getting interesting: "If you want to be."

"Do I have to do something?" The feeling of her buttocks on his knee already let his thoughts wander completely elsewhere. This game wouldn't last very long.

"Well, the custom is that Santa asks wether one was good or not and then listens."

"Alright. My sweet Cora. Have you been good? Or have you been... naughty?", he whispered while his hand resumed wandering over her lower back.

Cora felt she was on the right path.

"I'm afraid, I've been a bit naughty", she whispered looking straight at him.

"Have you?" Robert couldn't help himself anymore. The way she looked at him, the way her lips quivered, the way she shifted ever so slightly on his knee. It started to drive him mad, sod the bloody punishment. He wanted her. Here and now.  
Robert grabbed her waist and pulled his wife fully into his lap, her legs coming to rest alongside his, her knees pressing against his hips, her throat eliciting a little whimper.

"I'm afraid I have", she breathed, while her arms closed behind his neck and her lips came to a halt mere inches in front of his, their noses touching.

"What about the story?" Robert managed to ask. His hands had found their way under her skirts by now and had started caressing her warm thighs.

"It's a fairy tale come true", Cora took a deep breath, for Robert had found another of her sensitive spots.

"Is it?"

"Yesss", she hissed. She had to, because all she was able to feel by now were Robert's fingers dipping into her wet folds, caressing her where she was the most sensitive of all, and his arousal prodding against her lower abdomen.

"Oh God, Robert, do you forgive me?", her lips still inches apart from his.

What Cora got for an answer was another of his fiery open mouthed kisses. When they finally broke apart for air, he said:

"If I'm the prince in your fairy tale, you're forgiven."

"You are. And you'll always will be, Robert Crawley. Let's go upstairs."

"No."

"No?"

"Remember, a little bit of punishment was in order. And it still is."

"What? I thought you forgave me." Cora was thoroughly confused now. What did he have in mind?

"And I did. But I don't want to go upstairs. The fire is still going nicely. You wanted me to come in here and so I did. And now I don't want to leave. All I want now is you. Right here."

He'd whispered the last words into her ear, breathing rather heavily while Cora could feel a certain part of his body twitching against her. The teasing was certainly over now.

"You're talking too much, Santa Claus!" She said just before she started nibbling at his lower lip.

When they thought about this night later on they couldn't for the life of them remember how they had managed to get rid of Cora's undergarments or how she had freed his aching manhood from its restraints, but they had.

The moment she lowered herself unto him, both groaned unashamed into each others mouths. They had successfully worked each other up into such a heightened state of arousal, that they simply needed release.

Without any further pretext, Robert started kneading Cora's buttocks forcefully while she moved up and down more and more frantic.

Soon Cora couldn't take it any longer, but she couldn't kiss him anymore either for their breathing had become short and heavy, so she buried her face in his neck to muffle her moans at least a bit and she felt Robert do the same.

When Robert felt Cora's hands grabbing his hair, trying to hold herself steady, her breasts moving rhythmically up and down his chest and her inner folds suddenly starting to pulse around him, he lost control and his world went black in front of his eyes. He pulled her down one last time, his essence rushing deep inside her, while he breathed her name into her shoulder.

"My God, Robert." Cora broke the silence after they had recovered a bit.

"Let's go upstairs now." Robert whispered and kissed her gently on the lips. "We can't stay here, as much as I'd like to."

"I know what you mean", she replied, kissing him back. "And the night is still young."

"Exactly."

Standing in the doorway of the library with their gathered clothes, taking a last look at the room and hoping they had managed to erase all traces of their lovemaking in a family room, Robert took Cora's hand, kissed it and looked straight into her amazing blue eyes:

"My wife." He stated. "I love you. Happy Christmas."

Cora felt herself blush, after all these years, he was still able to do that to her. He declared his love so seldomly that she felt lost for words and only managed to smile at him, which seemed to be enough though.

"Come on", he said smiling and hand in hand they went upstairs.

* * *

The next day, Christmas Day, while awaiting the arrival of the Dowager Countess, Robert and Cora stood a bit closer together than was probably appropriate, but they didn't care. The moment Violet had stepped out of her car though, Cora put a bit of space between them. Her mother-in-law looked positively livid.

"Robert!" Violet said indignantly without further greeting:

"What were you thinking?"

"What? What did I do?" Robert had no idea, what had gotten his mother into this state.

"Yesterday evening? When I was leaving? I saw you. Running across the snow, your tails flying behind you, chasing that... that dog? Have you no dignity, Robert?"

Robert felt himself blushing furiously, and suddenly heard a snort behind him. When he turned around, Cora was halfway across the hall, fighting visibly to remain calm and composed:

"If you will excuse me, I'm so sorry, but I just remembered I promised Mrs Hughes to discuss the dinner arrangements for tonight."

"What? Now?", Robert called after her, but his wife was already gone and all he could hear was her roaring laughter.

"Cora?"


End file.
